The Passionate Pursual
by do.you.care.enough
Summary: Count Olaf really and truly scarred me for life." Violet's POV, with some Quiglet. Set after "The End". See how Violet adjusts to the world around her as she searches desperately for Beatrice.
1. Chapter One: Unforunate Unveilings

The Passionate Pursual

**(A Series of Unfortunate Events Fanfic)**

By DoYouCareEnough

*****

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."  
-Norman Shwarzkopf, U.S. General

*****

Chapter One

Unfortunate Unveilings

*****

_It_ was stormy out on the waters, and the rain was flooding Beatrice. I looked to Klaus, terrified, and he looked back at me like, You're the inventor. Do something. But there was nothing I could do. The boat was going to sink, and we were going to die.

It was as simple and as complicated as that.

What was truly ironic about this was that we could see the shore. Though we were many miles out, we could just see the faintest strip of land on the horizon. The boat only had to hang on for another few hours or so, yet our journey on boat still had to end here. How were we going to make it to land? How would we possibly survive?

I looked over at Beatrice, and her eyes were wide with fright. I closed my eyes, trying to hold the tears back. I must be strong. I must. For them. For my siblings, and my friends who were also my family.

"Violet." Quigley says from behind me. He grabs my hand, and I look over at him. "We stick together." He orders and promises, and I nod, the tears trying even harder to make their way out of my eyes. I fight the migraine that's sweeping through my head, trying to stay alert. These next few minutes were going to be crucial, and I couldn't be worried about things as contrastingly simple as a headache.

As the boat began to tip, I look to my family.

"I love you all. And I plan to seeing you on the mainland." I squeeze Quigley's hand, and the rest of my family members jump out of the capsizing boat and into the water. They began to swim towards the shore, and I look to Quigley. He smiles reassuringly.

"We'll all make it." And then we jump into the warm water, too.

The current and storm instantly took us all in different directions, and I saw Duncan clinging to Beatrice, Isadora clinging to Klaus, and Sunny, ever the independent soul, was swimming hard towards the shore. God, how I loved my little Sunny. Only she wasn't so little anymore.

Quigley and I held onto each other as we swam and let the current take us where it wanted. Eventually the storm died down, and we let go of each other in favor of swimming our hardest. It took us two days to reach the mainland, and we arrived cold, sick, and drenched. We were terrified, and had no idea where our siblings were.

And so we made our way into the world.

*****

**[One Year Later]**

Quigley and I eventually found Duncan, Sunny, Isadora and Klaus. They made it to the shore not too far from where we were, and we reunited to make a game plan.

Beatrice was gone.

We still haven't found her.

Though the rest of my family has begun to accept that Beatrice has inevitably passed away, I can't accept that. No, I won't accept that. Call it a hunch, call it intuition, I just know that my strong Bea is out there somewhere.

Klaus, Quigley, Isadora, Duncan, and I did odd jobs and even panhandled until we got money for an apartment for the five of us, including Sunny, to share. We enrolled Sunny in school, and all tried our hardest to get steady jobs, or at least just a job, so that we could try and make a life for ourselves.

All the while, I've desperately searched for my dearest Beatrice.

*****

_I was in an elevator shaft. And empty elevator shaft; one without all of the gears and levers and pulleys and wiring needed to make one run. The shaft was very, very tall, and was oddly familiar, though it was pitch-black. In the far corner was an empty, abandoned cage. I knew that somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, I knew why it was empty, but my psyche came up blank. God, why couldn't I remember?I needed to get out of here. Right now! My entire self was screaming for me to run, jump, climb, anything. _

_Wait. _

_Climb._

_That was it! A little bell "dinged," the light bulb was lit, all of those little metaphors for figuring something out happened. _

_I dug my fingernails into the hard, concrete wall of the shaft, and tried my hardest to climb. I clumsily fell multiple times. And then, suddenly, something cascaded down the wall, landing next to me._

_Since my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could tell that it was a make-shift rope, composed of extension chords, scarves, ties, and bits of rope. It, like the cage and the elevator shaft was very, very familiar. I thought hard as to why I remembered it, but then realized that I was wasting my time. I tugged on the make-shift rope to make sure it was sturdy, and then started climbing._

_It felt like I was climbing for all of eternity. Really, and truly, this was the most tedious and difficult task I'd ever done. Ever. Including S.O.R.E. at Prufrock Preparatory. This was a thousand times worse than that._

_Finally, I could see the top. I smiled victoriously, and started to climb faster and harder._

_Suddenly, a figure appeared at my destination. I could not see who it was, but I could see two very shiny, shiny eyes staring hard at me. For the fourth time, something very familiar showed up, but I could not place my finger on why it was so familiar._

_Then, like someone had flipped a light switch, everything got very, very bright. Neon bright. My eyes stung and for a minute or two I couldn't see anything but white. I held onto the rope for dear life as I blinked furiously, trying to see who those familiar eyes belonged to. Finally, I could see, and I was struck with horror when I saw who was in front of me._

_I tried to scream, but I was completely mute. I tried with all my might to alert someone that I was in trouble, but nothing came out. _

_"Hello, Violet." The greedy voice of Count Olaf said. He pulled out a long bread knife, which was rusted and kind of bloody, and once again I was struck with the familiarity, but was unable to understand why I recognized it. The person began to saw into one of the extension chords, and I began to panic. I grabbed onto the top of the shaft, and tried to pull myself up as the rope split in two, and the bottom fell noiselessly down the elevator shaft. I looked down to where it fell, and turned back to the Count. _

_He shook his head mockingly at me. _

_"Goodbye, Violet." He said once again, and kicked me hard in the head. I didn't feel any pain, but I felt the sheer terror as I fell down the shaft._

_I was just about to hit the bottom when, suddenly…_

*****

I awoke. I was breathing hard and crying, and, like every other time I had a nightmare, I began to scream. Terribly loud and piercing, my screaming just kept coming and coming without any liberation from the ear-splitting noise. I just could not stop, though.

In the beginning, Quigley, Klaus, Sunny, Isadora, and Duncan had always awoke in a fright, thinking that somehow Count Olaf had resurrected and was coming to murder me in my sleep. But, they always found me in the same state, sobbing, screaming, and shaking violently, while clinging to my blanket and pillow for dear life.

I hated mine and Quigley's bedroom, because it was ominous and old, making me always afraid, which made sleeping nightmare-free impossible.

I felt bad for putting everyone through this trial. I was the oldest, so I should be the strongest.

Yet I wasn't.

Of all of us, I was the one who had the hardest time adjusting to 'normal' life. I was always terrified, always on edge, always unable to get out of bed most mornings. The only reason I did was, once again, to be strong for my siblings especially, but also my friends. I could only imagine what it would do to Klaus and especially Sunny if they saw their older sister, their rock, falling to pieces even more than she usually did.

Every morning, when I awoke, I thought of my parents' order for me to always protect my siblings, and remembered that I had to protect them from my pain.

I was the only one that wasn't completely flourishing in my job. Duncan, Isadora, Klaus, and Quigley all found jobs that suited them perfectly, and made the most out of their new life. I, however, couldn't handle work. Even though I worked in a place that was perfect for me- I worked as an assistant to an inventor- I just could not deal with it. I saw the stares of my co-workers, heard the whispers about me. While most people in our town enjoyed the presence of my old and new family, none of them understood why I had such a problem adjusting. Many people knew our past, but many people did not understand just how drastic our internal scars were.

I was the weird girl, the one who was constantly breaking down on the sidewalk, the one who was on the verge of a mental breakdown. They avoided me like the plague, so my only friends were my family, which was fine by me.

The amount of change that I'd done since before my parents had died was terrifying. I went from the fun-loving, outgoing, friendly, naïve girl to the strong, misfortunate girl, to the nervous, terrified-of-life loner. I hated who I'd become, but I didn't know how to change how I felt. My anxiety was getting worse, and it was like I just couldn't deal.

Quigley kept me going. He was my best friend, and the only person who I could really talk to about this. He never judged me, never made me feel like I was crazy or unstable.

He was my rock, and without him I should surely not continue to continue on.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked Chapter One. I plan on having thirteen chapters, like the real books.

I will update soon, and I hope you guys actually _want _me to continue this story.

Review! Review! Review!


	2. Chapter Two: Desperate Desires

A/N: Turn back now. For this story does not have a happy ending.

* * *

Chapter Two

Depressing Desires

*****

_Somehow_, someday, I would find her. She was only ten years old, for God's sake.

I missed her horribly. Terribly. Beatrice was my light in the darkness, quite possibly my favorite person in the world besides my Quigley. She was not only my sister for all intents and purposes, but my friend. I remembered how she would sit by my side as I tinkered, and ask dozens of questions about my inventions and just life in general.

So many of my nights were spent in tears. Shaking, heart-wrenching sobs escaped, and I could scarcely do anything but cry. I felt so horrible whenever Quigley laid at my side, trying his hardest to comfort me, and was unable to do so.

I needed help. Not help like, psychiatrist, but help like, help from my sister. If Beatrice was here, I could for sure be okay. I would work through the nightmares, would work through the terrifying memories that haunted me day and night, in slumber and in consciousness.

"Violet, she's gone. You have to move on." Quigley whispered one night. As he said this, tears rushed to my eyes and I shook my head fiercely.

"No. _No_. She's still _here_, Quigley!" I said through gritted teeth. I heard him sigh, and then roll over in bed so that he was facing away from me. Once again, I felt guilty for putting him through this. He loved me, but he couldn't understand why I couldn't put my childhood behind me.

"I don't know what to do." I'd heard him say to Klaus one day. It was one of those days that I couldn't get out of bed, one of those dark days where I worried my family to death.

It wasn't the first time that my family had discussed me, and it certainly wasn't the last. They had no idea what they could do to help. Was committing me the answer, or would it make things worse? Would talking everything out help, or was I just doomed to being like this for the rest of my life? Would I be the crazy aunt, the old, bitter lady that was a burden on everyone around me?

I hoped that I wouldn't, but this depression felt inescapable.

*****

_The boy and the girl were talking about two very different things while they sat on the icy ledge. The girl was speaking of V.F.D.'s headquarters and how the Mortmain Mountains were such a beautiful spot for a location, and how they had such a lovely view from where they were sitting._

_"Very lovely indeed," The boy said, looking at the girl, and not out at what the girl was looking at. The girl smiled softly, and blushed, embarrassed. She looked away for a second, and then looked back at him._

_"I-" The girl started, but the boy shook his head._

_"You don't have to say anything. I understand." The girl and the boy looked at each other intently, and their silent conversation meant more than any spoken conversation they'd had before and since then._

_The girl put her hands behind the boy's neck, and they began to kiss. It was the first kiss either of them had experienced, and they liked it, so they kissed more. The kisses were not chaste, but they stayed true to themselves and their morals._

_Hours later, they began the climb again._

*****

I awoke calmly, and realized that, for the first night in over a decade, I hadn't had a nightmare. I smiled to myself, and wondered where that sudden peace of mind in my slumber had come from.

I saw Quigley, who was already awake, staring at me wide-mouthed from where he stood in front of the closet.

"What?" I ask, a little defensive.

"Nothing." He says, smiling to himself. And then I realize why he was so shocked.

That was the first time I'd smiled in over a year.

*****

I joined the family at dinner that night, and tried my hardest to be pleasant and happy. I think that it came off very phony, but I think they appreciated the effort.

That night, I looked in the mirror for the first time in quite awhile.

I was pale, and under my eyes were dark, scary shadows. My hair was limp, and flat, though very shiny still. I looked skinny. Too skinny. I hadn't been eating well in the past year, and it showed. I promised myself that I would eat more carbohydrates and gain some weight.

But my eyes were the worst. They were bloodshot, yes, but that's wasn't the most terrible part.

They held the most unbelievable amount of sadness. Though they matched my experiences, it was hard to believe that a person as young as I am- twenty-seven- could have possibly been through so much. You could see it all in my eyes- the death, the pain, the terror, the agony. There was little bits of pain for every person that I'd loved and lost, and a big bit of pain for my Beatrice.

Like a person who'd been through and seen a lot, the battle scars weren't entirely on the inside. I had a giant scar on my shoulder from where my grapple had hit it, had even more scars from being slammed around by Count Olaf and his henchman on numerous occasions.

I was a wreck. Emotionally and physically, I was a jumble of complete chaos and agony.

*****

Quigley somehow convinced me to go to a restaurant with him. We went to a nice little Italian bistro, and sat down a table for two. We held hands as we looked through the menu.

It was when I hit the pastas that I broke down.

Right under spaghetti, and right above lasagna was one word: Puttanesca.

When I saw the word, I closed my eyes and gasped quietly. I let go of Quigley's hand, and put my head in my hands. The tears flooded my eyes and spilled over as a thousand memories from Count Olaf's house filled my mind. I was struck with terror, and it was as though I could feel his shiny, greedy eyes on me.

I flinched when Quigley touched me, my eyes flying open as I shot up from my chair.

"Violet… It's me. It's alright." The voice was saying.

"I've… I've got to get out of here." I sputter, half-running towards the door. When I was halfway there, I bumped into a server, and when I looked up at him, I recognized him immediately.

I pause a few seconds, staring up at him in horror.

The one eyebrow… The eyes… And I would bet my last dime that there was a tattoo of an eye on his ankle.

"Count Olaf." I whispered, terrified. I felt two hands around my arms, and gasped. "Let me go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I kicked myself free, and knew what I needed to do.

Run.

In the many years that I'd had time to ponder our time trying to escape from Count Olaf, I'd figured out mine and my sibling's worst mistake every time: we hadn't run.

If we'd ran in the beginning… Far, far away from Count Olaf, maybe we would have gotten away. If we'd ran at Caligari Carnival, we might have gotten away. If we'd ran with Uncle Monty, we might have gotten away. So I'd figured it out. If I was ever in trouble again, I would run far, far away.

I started to run, but arms grabbed me again.

Oh, God. It was over. This was the end.

Had I really come this far for it all to end right here?

And then I remembered… Count Olaf was _dead_. He was long gone.

I looked back up at the man, and saw that no, he wasn't Olaf. He was some random guy with a unibrow and similar eyes. I looked at who had grabbed me from behind, and saw that it was Quigley. Oh, God… Quigley.

I looked all around me, and saw people staring with semi-disgusted, semi-shocked faces. I looked up at Quigley, and then I ran out of the restaurant.. When I was far away, I stopped, and collapsed onto the sidewalk, crying. After a few moments, someone sat down next to me, and held my hand while I let it all out.

"I'm never going to be okay, am I?" I ask Quigley, looking up at him through flooded eyes. He looked at my solemnly, and then shrugged. "Why am I the only one that can't deal with this?" I cried, so confused.

"None of us handle this perfect, Violet."

"But I'm the only one that can't move on. The only one that wakes up screaming, the only one who still sees him everywhere I go, the only one that breaks down in public and can't do anything…"

"We all have nightmares. We all see him."

"But _why _do you handle it better?"

"You're older. You had to look out for everyone. You had so much pressure and stress on you. It left it's mark. Believe me, Olaf got you worse than anyone." I could here this silent reasoning behind that last mark: _he'd tried to marry you. He'd sexually harassed you for all intents and purposes. He was constantly threatening you especially_.

"Still."

"But, Violet?" I nod. "You've got to do something. I'm not going to let you just sit here and deteriorate." I close my eyes tightly, not wanting to have to deal with this right now.

"I know." I say softly, in anguish.

*****

I figured it out.

Deep down inside, I knew the only way I could be happy was if I found Beatrice.

But I didn't know where to look.

And so I would start at the beginning. The very bad beginning.

At Briny Beach.

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter. I got the idea for Violet going back to Briny Beach from Wikipedia, when it talked about how in the special edition of the Bad Beginning, it says the she returns back to the beach for a third time. I already know about how it's all going to go down, and it's going to be kind of depressing.

Oh, this story is going to be pretty dark if you haven't figured this out already. For sort of the key to the whole story- and I don't remember if I read this in the actual series, or on the Internet- do you remember ever reading about how the Baudelairs themselves have to struggle with doing right or wrong? Like in the _Penultimate Peril_? Well, Violet is going to be faced tragically with doing what's right.

Review, please. Everything you like and hate… Let me know.


	3. Chapter Three: Silencing Shorelines

A/N: Do not read this story. Exit from the story as quick as possible.

* * *

Chapter Three

Silencing Shorelines

*****

_Quigley _stood with his arms crossed. "You shouldn't do this, Violet." I shake my head.

"Well, I'm going." We stare at each other for a few long minutes, and then I say. "So, are you coming with me, or am I going alone?" Quigley swallows hard, and says,

"I'll see you when you come home." I nod in affirmation, and try my hardest to blink back the tears that had suddenly rushed to my eyes.

"I'll be back soon."

"If you need anything, just call." He says, and I agree to do just that. And then I leave.

*****

Thebeach was basically the same as it was the first day when Mr. Poe arrived and told my siblings and I about the terrible fire that had taken our parents' lives. It was a cloudy, gloomy day. The clouds were dark and scary-looking, and thunder rumbled deep in the distance. The water churned restlessly, and I wondered- morbidly- how long it would take for me to drown if I just dove right on in.

I felt despondent about my time here, and I wasn't so sure that my trip here would be fruitful at all.

I walked to the shoreline carefully, and I wondered if this was where I'd been that morning, when I was thinking of an invention to retrieve stones that you've skipped. Those times seemed so distant, so far away. Back when I could afford to be careless and happy and naïve.

_A little baby looked up at me quizzically, and lifted her hands up in the air. I looked at the darling child with love, and wondered what she was trying to tell me._

I looked back towards where the beach meets the boardwalk, and could almost actually see Mr. Poe walking towards me. I had to blink a few times, but the image wouldn't go away. My mind flipped through that day, and it was like I was really reliving it. When my mind got to the part where Mr. Poe announced that our parents had died, I freaked.

_"Book!" The baby shrieked, and my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. _

My hands shot to my mouth, holding in my sobs. I needed my parents back. I had so much to ask them, so much to tell them. There was so much I didn't understand about my past and V.F.D, and my parents had the answers I needed. On top of all that, I missed them. Horribly and terribly.

_"What, honey? What is it?" _

My knees buckled out from under me, and suddenly I was in the sand on my knees, my tears wetting the ground below me.

_She pointed jerkily to the water, and I saw what she was gesturing towards._

The agony and the pain was too potent for me to handle it. It gnawed at my insides and knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for breath as the tears fell steadily, flaming hot against my too-cold cheek.

_I walked carefully through the cold water, trying not to loose my footing in the tide. The baby and I got splashed many times from the waves, and all the while the child giggled and shrieked in pleasure. _

Why had I come here? What was I trying to accomplish by being here?

_I knelt down into the water, and picked up the soaking wet hardback book. Since it was too wet and soggy to do much with, I laid it out in the sand to dry. _

Beatrice wasn't here. That was plainly obvious, thanks to the deserted state of Briny Beach.

_I returned the next day and found the book completely water-free. I found a spot in the sand, and began to read._

I heard noises behind me, and flinched. I shot upright, and spun around to see two people coming towards me. I grab a rock from beside me, and clench it tightly, déjà vu going through me in waves.

_It took me hours, but eventually I finished the story._

"Are you lost, honey?" The girl asked. I shook my head furiously.

_I didn't know how this book got here, but I definitely understood that the book meant a whole lot. Every margin of every page was filled with familiar writing. It told where the writer was, told that the writer was okay, told that the writer and his family were coming to be with my own._

"Do you need a ride home, then?" The boy asked. Once again I shook my head, and, with a burst of energy, I ran past them, not stopping until I was very far away.

_The writing was Quigley's_.

*****

_The world seemed very black, and very dark. Rain soaked through my hair and my clothes, and I shivered quite violently. I was moving from side to side, but not willingly._

_Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting everything up. That's when I realized that I was in a boat, so that's why I was rocking. _

_I kept hearing familiar _thunks_ on the side of the boat. This was bad, but I couldn't figure out why it was. I thought hard, but couldn't come up with why it was bad. Should I panic? Scream? Try to get help?_

_Slowly but surely, little bits of the boat broke off and fell to the water with a splash. _

_As the boat started to fill with water, I began to scream. I couldn't do anything, couldn't invent anything to get me out. I was doomed to die, and I was going to have to accept that. _

_My boots filled with water, and the boat tipped dangerously to the side as more pieces broke off. I shuddered as the rain, lightning, and thunder picked up, and tried my hardest not to be afraid. I'd been through too much to be frightened. As I focused on calming down, my thoughts flickered to my brother and sister._

_Where were they?! Were they okay?! _

_My thoughts were screaming all of this over and over as the boat finally capsized, flinging me into the water. The water was freezing, and chilled me to the very bone. I tried desperately to kick to the surface, but I just kept swimming in circles. _

_I'd used all of my air supply, and my lungs were screaming urgently for oxygen._

_Someone swam up beside me, and I started kicking even harder for the surface when I saw who it was._

_Esme Squalor. _

_Her silver stilettos shone, even in the dark water, and they were threatening and dangerous-looking. On her forehead was a question mark drawn in what looked like paint._

_Her hands reached my throat just as everything went black._

*****

I awoke screaming and crying as normal, but when I realized that I was not in my home, I pressed my mouth to my pillow to muffle the horrifying noise that was escaping my lips.

When I'd calmed down some, I began to ponder the dream.

The part that confused me the most was the question mark on Esme's forehead. What did that mean? What was my subconscious trying to tell me exactly? Was it saying that I was confused, that I had more questions? Well, that was painfully obvious if that was it. Did it mean that Esme had questions?

And then I figured it out.

A question mark. A _question mark_.

_The_ _Great Unknown_.

I called Quigley as soon as I figured why I'd dreamt it. He answered on the first ring of the telephone, and it seemed that he was still upset about my return to Briny Beach.

"Quigley, what happened with _The Great Unknown?_" I'd never asked before. Why hadn't I asked? I really was dimwitted sometimes.

Quigley took a deep breath, and then began his tale.

"Kit and Ink escaped onto their Vaporetto of Favorite Detirius. We all saw _The Great Unknown, _and in an instant, we all began to be sucked down. I tried desperately to stay above water, but the suction was just too great. I was forced underwater, and continued to be pulled in the direction of _The Great Unknown_.

"_The Great Unknown_ began on the good side of V.F.D. They came to rescue us."

"Who?" I asked, interrupting.

"Many people. You don't know any of them." I nodded. I'd stayed far, far away from all things V.F.D. since we'd returned from the island. I'd run away from my past life, and, for some reason, my family ran with me. I wondered briefly about that. It was quite obvious that Sunny, Duncan, Isadora, Klaus, and especially Quigley wanted to be a part of V.F.D. They wanted to prevent the fires and put out the ones that were beyond their control. So why hadn't they?

Me.

Of course it was me. I'd kept everyone I loved from doing what they wanted to do: use their talents for good. But Quigley and my siblings wanted to stick by me, and Isadora and Duncan wanted to stick by their brother. That was one good part of everything that had happened to us Baudelairs and Quagmires. We're families that stick together, no matter what the cost.

But I still felt horrible for taking away their choice.

"Then what happened?" I asked.

"People began to panic. No one trusted each other; how would anyone really know if the person next to them was their enemy or their ally? Why trust others when so far everyone has been nothing but out to get each other? Why not rely on yourselves? Friends were turning on friends, husbands against wives, sisters against brothers. There were no teams, no alliances."

"And what did you do?"

"I tried to keep the peace. But, eventually, _The Great Unknown _was turned over to one side. A few of us that chose no side of the schism inside the schism escaped before the real mayhem began. I'm sure everyone fought until there was no one standing. And you know what's really sad, Violet?" The question was rhetorical, but I answered anyway.

"What?"

"There really was no evil onboard _The Great Unknown_. Everyone was good, but the schism had scarred us so much that we were all untrusting, all so ready to put out a fire, when, in fact, the very people who had dedicated themselves to preventing fires had started one all on their own."

"Oh." I say quietly, and we sit in silence for a few minutes.

"Why do you ask?" He finally inquires. I shrug, and then remember that he can't see me.

"I had a dream about a question mark, and it reminded me that I'd never asked you about it. I was just morbidly curious." I spared him the details of my dream, and we hung up soon after that.

*****

I got a call two days later, just I was packing to get ready to go home.

"Violet? Violet?" A frantic voice said from over the phone. The voice was Isadora's.

"What? Are you alright? What about Klaus? Sunny? Quigley?" My voice became as frantic as my sister-in-law's, and I expected the very worst.

"Run away! Don't come home, go far away!"

"Why? What's going on, Isadora?"

The only answer was a ear-splitting, agonized, scream. My heart constricted and I clutched the phone tightly.

"Isadora? Isadora! What's happening?" I shout, but no answer comes.

And then the phone goes dead.

*****

I got a letter delivered to my hotel room soon after that.

_Violet,_

_Destroy this. You've been to the Start. Now continue on, back through your original journey. All the way you will find help. Eventually you will find us. Remember that we love you. Now, come get us. Only you can do it._

_-Isadora_

I didn't understand at first. It took me hours and hours to figure it out.

And then I understood.

The beginning was Briny Beach. Isadora meant for me to journey through our, well, journey. From Count Olaf's house to Aunt Josephine's to Prufrock Preparatory to Caligari Carnival to the Mortmain Mountains.

As the letter burned in the fireplace, I planned where I would go first.

And then I went.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I thought it was pretty intense… And I hope you liked my explanation of what happened on _The Great Unknown_. I'm trying to fill in the pieces that Daniel Handler didn't, and there's a whole lot that really wasn't explained so, well, you know.

Review, review, review! I won't be able to update next Friday as planned, seeing as I'll be at camp in Oklahoma without use of a computer so... I'm shooting for the Friday after that. Hope you don't miss the story too much! :)


	4. Chapter Four: The Lucid Lake

A/N: Click that little red "X" on your screen. Make this story go away. Spare yourself from the misery and woe that comes along with it.

Chapter Four

The Lucid Lake

*****

_Beginning_ at Count Olaf's old house, I found nothing but an ashy plot of land.

I continued on to where Uncle Monty's house once stood. I found that a brand-new house had been built in it's place. Gathering all of the courage I had, I knocked on the door.

As I was waiting for someone to answer, I saw a hand-made sign near the door. It was made of stone, and it read in plain, simple, block letters written with chalk: _The world is quiet here_. As I read this, I suck in a deep breath. Okay. So Isadora definitely knew what she was talking about when she told me to take my journey again.

A middle-aged woman answered the door, and I repeated what the sign by her door read. She looked at me carefully for a few seconds, and then said,

"For or against fire?"

"Against. I'm Violet Baudelaire," I answer quickly, and she smiles.

"Welcome."

*****

Inside, she led me to a library, and then handed me two papers that were sitting on a table.

"The first telegram arrived describing you, and telling me to give you the next telegram, and then lead you in the right direction." I read the second telegram, which tells me to not go to Lake Lachrymose. "The lake is no longer a headquarters for V.F.D. For the first time in nearly three decades, it truly is quiet there," it read.

"So I go on to Paltryville, right?" I ask. The woman, who had introduced herself as just "Khloe," shook her head.

"You will go in the tunnel under the house, and on to the Quagmire's old mansion. After that you will continue on to Paltryville. Do you understand?" she asks, and I nod. "Do you need the telegram anymore?" I shake my head no, and she wads it up and throws it into the fire. She does the same with the first telegram. "Now, be on your way." She pushes a rug into the corner of the room, and opens a trapdoor. I hesitantly step inside, and begin the terrifying trek through the tunnel.

It took me a couple hours to reach the old Quagmire house. When I came up through the trapdoor, a young man was waiting for me. He smiled when I made my way into what looked like another library, and stood up.

"Violet Baudelaire. A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ishmael." I blinked when he said his name, and tried to calm my racing thoughts and push the troubling memories from my time on the island with that person of the same name. Now was not the time to fall apart.

I nod, and he hands me a piece of paper.

"_The Denouement was not your fault. Continue on, and remember the gum."_

*****

_The snakes were speaking to me._

_Speaking to me?_

_I really was loosing my mind._

_"Don't be afraid, darling. We'll be extra careful. We don't like Count Olaf, either," The big, black, familiar one said. I wondered why it was familiar. It seemed that I couldn't completely recognize a lot these days._

_Pushing the thought from my mind, I stroked the slick snake carefully. It's tongue slithered between it's jaws quickly, and then sucked back in even quicker. _

_"You're incredible," I murmured, and then moved on to the cage next to the dark snake. It was a giant toad with many eyes, and it was green and slick-looking like it had been out in the rain for a while. It croaked at me, and I giggled. It turned it's head to the side in a confused manner, like it had never heard the noise before. _

_I looked at all of the reptiles in their various cages, and was surprised with the variety. When I was done memorizing each of their appearances, I sat down in one of the chairs and flipped through some books. They were all about the reptiles in the cages and the ones that were not featured here, and it was all very interesting. _

_"Darling…" I heard from behind me, and I jumped up, dropping my books to the ground in the process. I looked all around, wondering who had spoken, and realized that it was the black snake. _

_"What?" I ask, wary._

_"Come closer." Like a magnet, I felt that I had no choice but to comply. I drifted closer and closer until I was practically nose-to-nose with the cage. _

_"Yes?"_

_"I can't believe I've finally got you. It's truly too amazing for words!" It laughed in a triumph. My eyebrows furrow, and I look at the serpent, confused. "Truly awe-inspiring." It shakes it head in wonder, and I take a step back as the snake's eyes turn greedy and evil-looking. "I've finally got you!" It shouts one more time. In the split second that I had to blink, the snake turned into _him_._

_Count Olaf._

_As I screamed, the wretched man slipped through the bars and jumped towards me._

*****

I awoke in a fright, and, thankfully, I remembered where I was, so I suppressed the screaming.

The train ride to Paltryville was a long, terrible one. Though the surrounding towns had changed dramatically, they were still as dingy and bleak looking as it had been over a decade before.

When the train stopped in Paltryville, I got off. I put on my raincoat, and stopped to think for a second. Where was I supposed to go first? The town had gotten bigger, so there were tons of places to start.

I began walking in a random direction, down wet streets and dirty sidewalks. People lurked on the corners, and every time I passed someone, my heart sped up and I walked faster, afraid that someone evil had figured out what was going on (though I hadn't yet) and was coming to stop me. But then I was struck with the realization that someone here was probably waiting for me, and then I just got confused and frustrated all over again.

And then I remembered Isadora's note. _Remember the gum_.

The gum. I thought hard, and remembered.

Suddenly I was running- no, sprinting- towards where I remembered the Lucky Smells Lumbermill being. I slipped on a puddle of water, and pitched forward, landing hard on my knees and hands. But that didn't phase me. I just sprinted even harder, getting soaked in the process as the hood of my raincoat fell off my head.

And there I found it.

Lucky Smells Lumbermill had been shut down after everything that happened while we briefly worked and resided there, and had been just left to rot after. I kicked in a window, and crawled through, cutting my hand on the glass as I did. I picked the piece of glass out, and ignored the pain.

I found a huge pile of boxes and boxes of gum, and begin opening them all, looking for any clue of why Isadora had asked me to do this. Halfway through the stack, I found what I was looking for.

I opened the brown box, and out fell a little scrap of paper.

_"The world is quiet here, _

_Now take a moment to dry your tear."_

It was obviously Isadora's handwriting and poem style, but I didn't understand. My hand reached up to my eyes, and sure enough, tears were flowing. I was so perplexed, so worried, so terrified that I felt like breaking down.

I pulled my handkerchief out of the pocket of my coat, and wiped my tears just like Isadora had told me to.

I got an inkling of something, and stared hard at the handkerchief for a long time.

And then I understood.

*****

_Isadora and I were sitting on the beach on the island, just talking. I had a cold, and kept pulling the handkerchief of Quigley's that I always stole out of his pocket. I blew my nose, and Isadora looked upset._

_"What's the matter, Isadora?" I asked, concerned._

_"Nothing," she says quickly, and then shakes her head. "Actually, it always makes me sad when I see a handkerchief, because it always reminds me of the Hotel Denouement." I look at her quizzically, and she continues. "When we saw the smoke from the Hotel Denouement, Quigley pulled out a handkerchief. He was crying, and he wanted to wipe his tears away. It just makes me sad whenever I remember him being so beat up about it, it made me sad that so many noble volunteers lost their lives, and it made me sad that the last safe place is gone." _

_As she said this, my heart constricted and tears rushed to my eyes. None of the Quagmires knew that it was us Baudelairs that burned down the Hotel Denouement. It would have upset them, and none of us could bear to let our dear friends know that we were the terrible fiends that had let Count Olaf escape, and the terrible fiends that had killed innocent people._

_Isadora smiled reassuringly at me. "Don't worry about it," she said, and then promptly changed the subject._

*****

The handkerchief… Hotel Denouement.

That was where she wanted me to go next. She never said anything about making the journey in order… She just said make the journey. So it looks like I'm taking a little detour. I remembered her note at the Quagmire mansion: "The Hotel Denouement is not your fault." Okay, so the Quagmires- or at least Isadora- knew that we burned down the hotel. In that note, she was not only giving me a hint to what I was looking for in the gum, but was trying to relieve some of the guilt that I'd obviously be feeling when I figured out where I was going.

Taking a deep breath, I realize just how badly I don't want to go back to the site of where the Hotel Denouement once stood. I didn't want to have to feel the guilt, didn't want to have to relive that horrifying experience. To be honest, I wanted to go home. I wanted to see Quigley, see my brother and sister.

That option was irrational for two reasons. One: Isadora had said that I couldn't go home, that it wasn't safe. Two: I _could not_ fail my family. Nope. I sure couldn't.

* * *

A/N: Interesting chapter, huh? This mystery thing is fun to write! Hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm having problems with Chapter Five, so I'm not sure when I'll be updating again. Hopefully next Friday, but if i can't get inspired... Yep.

Review, review, review! Reviews are love, and I think you all have a lot of love to give out right now *wink, wink*

Last thing, I'm a beta reader so let me know if you're interested.


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